Pa. Raystown Member Meet – 2008
September 26
4:00 am – Ring, ring, ring! I get up in kind of a fog and stagger to the shower. Afterward, I gather the last of my camping items that will need to go in the truck. I finally sit down to sip my morning coffee, make this entry in my journal and wait for Scott to arrive.
5:00 am – Scott arrives and we hurry to pack his gear. As you can imagine, the BS was flowing! I haven’t seen Scott much this year so a lot of time is spent catch up with all that is going on in our lives.
6:00 am – We’re on the road! Traffic is light as Scott and I head around Harrisburg. The mountains are beautiful this morning even though the leaves have yet to sport their fall colors. The sky is threatening and we hope that it doesn’t rain until we get our tents set up!
10:00 am – We arrive at Seven Points Campground filled with excitement, anticipating a great weekend! The check-in process takes just a few minutes and then it’s off to Meadow Group Camp. I pick a spot to make my camp and Scott does the same. Before setting up tents we walk around the area. The pavilion is beautiful and modern bath facilities are a block away
…Soon Jas73 (Joe) and Pawalleyehunter (Art), with life member Kevin, son Bill and grandson, Cole arrive. After much hand shaking and BS, we all set about to setting up our sites.
Afterwards we all head to the pavilion to check it out! Wow, overhead lights, electrical outlets every where, tables and a huge stone fire place!
It doesn’t take long for us to realize that this is a great group area, and so we set about the task of setting up a kitchen area.
After dinner we sit in front of this huge fire place, discussing our plans for tomorrow.
10:15 pm – Lights out for this tired boy!
September 27
It rained so hard last night that it woke me twice! But by 5:30 am it had pretty much stopped. So when everyone woke, they gathered at the pavilion for fresh hot coffee. We actually had two coffee makers going at the same time! As we ate a little breakfast we discussed our plans for today. Scott, Joe and I made enough sandwiches to feed an army. Because once we get out on the water, we’re not getting out until we have to.
7:30 am – Three boats went out the free launch this morning; the “Bushwacker”, Joe’s boat and Art’s boat. We looked like a big fan as we headed out to deeper water. All three of us trolled and we headed toward Beer Barrel Bay, which is to the west of the launch. The structure here is an attractant to lake trout, small mouth bass and several other species. We trolled around and through this bay all day…Nada!
In the early afternoon Scott and I worked the shore line all the way around this bay…Nada!
We met outside the mouth of the bay and decided to work our way back.
5:45 pm – Back at camp, we decided to pull our resources and do a pot luck dinner. Burgers, salads and of course pie! After clean-up we all sat around the fire, listening to the rain, reviewing our day on the lake and listening to the sound of the crackling fire. It is a peaceful evening and we took the opportunity to get to know each other better. For most of us it is our second year and it sure is great remembering the past and catching up with all that has happened in our lives since last we met. I brought up the club 25 year celebration and we found ourselves in agreement with the recommendations from what other folks have already posted on the web site. This took us to next years meet. After much discussion we have decided to start the meet on a Wednesday rather than Friday and stay with the last weekend in September. This will help us deal with any weather issues. I must remember to post this in the web site when I get home. As you can imagine there was conversation around those that didn’t attend this year. We all agree that hopefully they will be able to attend next year.
11:00 pm – Scott has already hit the sack and I leave the rest of the gang to make this entry and take my night time meds…
September 28
5:30 am – I awake to the sounds of the kitchen and the pouring rain! I am one of the last up today and there is a waiting line in front of the coffee maker! While we sip our coffee, Bill cooks a great breakfast for everyone…Woo wee! While we eat our fill we also start the packing process. Stopping only long enough to do the dishes and take the group picture.
11:00 am – After the packing is complete there are hand shakes and hugs all around. Before we head out we promise to keep in touch…This is my last official meet for the year and I look forward to the rest. Although this meet is short, with few attending, there is great potential here…Scott and I wave, honk the horn as we head out of the campground in caravan style! It is raining steady as I head out the road, and I find myself reviewing the year I have been blessed with…Scott speaks about how nice this meet will be next year. Another great year with some mighty wonderful folks! See you around the fishing hole!
LM since 2005 Bushwacker Deputy Sherif